Wow, Doctors Managed To Remove 14,387 Kidney Stones From The Body Of A Man From Turkey

Operation illustration. (Unsplash/Piron Guillaume)

JAKARTA - Kemal Doğru has no clue how it happened, but his doctors believe the 64-year-old man may have broken the record for the most kidney stones expelled from the human body.

Doğru, who lives in Tokat Province, northern Turkey, had been seeking treatment for stomach pain about 40 days ago. After initial treatment in a general hospital, he was transferred to the Gaziosmanpaşa University Hospital in the province.

Doctors decided he needed gallbladder surgery. Surprisingly, they found 14,387 kidney stones in his body after the operation which took an hour and a half over three days.

According to Daily Sabah February 28, stones of all sizes were carefully removed and packed, as doctors said he was breaking a new record. They plan to register with the Guinness Book of Records after the carriage.

However, the old man may not have broken the world record as this title belongs to Dhanraj Wadile of India according to Guinness. Wadile had 172,155 kidney stones removed from his body in surgery in 2009. But Doğru is likely to break the Turkish record, previously held by a patient whose 8,422 kidney stones had been removed.

Dr. Vahit Mutlu who operated on Doğru said they applied to the local branch of Guinness to certify the record. Mutlu told Anadolu Agency (AA) on Monday they found abnormal growths in the patient's gallbladder, but found no health conditions initially.

"We applied X-ray imaging and found high values in pancreatic enzymes, blood and liver. He also developed jaundice. After further examination, we found many kidney stones," he explained.

Mutlu said the gallbladder was full of stones and they had difficulty keeping it intact as it 'overflowed' during the operation. He added that the patient is in good health now and is recovering at the hospital.

Meanwhile, Doğru said he never expected to have so many kidney stones.

"I don't know how they got there. I don't know what caused it. I eat a lot of fruit, but I'm not sure if this is the cause," he said.

To note, kidney stones are associated with many factors, ranging from diet, such as consumption of foods high in protein, salt and sugar, to dehydration and the patient's genetic history. Obesity is also linked to the development of kidney stones, along with digestive diseases and other medical conditions such as urinary tract infections.